BOROUGH councillors have agreed to invest an additional £83,000 to improve Redditch’s waste collection service following major disruptions last year.
The money will be used to employ three more permanent staff members who will support the service during the 2019/20 financial year.
Councillors at Tuesday night’s executive committee meeting said the move will significantly reduce the risk of overspending and reliance on agency staff – which cost the council an extra £91,000 on top of staff salaries in 2018.
Agency staff will only be used as a last resort, and if all goes to plan the council hopes to see savings of around £15,000.
Coun Brandon Clayton, whose portfolio covers Environmental Services, said: “Last year we spent too much money on agency staff and it cost us dearly.
“But I have high hopes for the future because I think this time we will get it right.”
More than 20,000 homes were affected at the time, leaving many residents’ bins unemptied for weeks.
